Hitching-weight holder.



PATBNTED JULY 4, 1905.

H. H. TOTHILL.

HITUHING WEIGHT HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED OOT.'13, 1904.

INVENTOR 4J1rbe1'ifi70 #:ZZZ

ATTORNEY tl NTTnn STATns Patented July 4, 1905.

PATENT Orrrcia.

HERBERT H. TOTHILL, OF LOOKPORT, NEW' YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOHOMER M. ALBERTY, OF LOOKPORT, NEW YORK.

HlTCHING-WEIGHT HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,132, dated July 4,1905. Application filed October 13, 1904, Serial No. 226,355.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT H. TOTHILL, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of NewYork, have invented a new and Improved l Iitchingeight Holder, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for supporting a horsehitching weight on a delivery-wagon or other vehicle, an object being toprovide a supporting device of simple construction, by means of whichthe weight when not in use may be suspended from the footboard or otherportion of avehicle in such manner as to be readily lowered to theground or raised by a person sitting in the vehicle.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the general description.

I will describe a hitching-weight holder embodying my invention and thenpoint out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side view of a hitching-weight holder embodying myinvention, showing the same as attached to awagon. Fig. 2 is asectionalelevation of the holder. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan, partly in section; andFig. 4: is a section on the line 4 1- of Fig. 2.

The device comprises a casing 5, which is open at the bottom and at thetop. It is provided with a forwardly-extended flange 6 at its upper endand with a rearwardly-extended flange 7, these flanges being providedwith holes through which bolts may pass to secure the device to theunder side of the vehiclefootboard, as indicated, or to any othersuitable place on the body. The front wall of the casing at the innerside is inclined upward and outward, as indicated at 8, and arranged atthe inner side of the rear wall is a wear,- plate 9, which to preventits falling out has its upper end turned over the upper end of said rearwall, and the lower end of the wearplate is curved outward underneaththe lower end of said rear wall, and the plate is adjusted inward tocompensate for wear or for different thicknesses of a supporting-strap10 for the weight 11 by means of a thumb-screw 9.

The suspending-strap 10 passes through an opening 12 formed in thefootboard, and while it is not absolutely necessary to secure the upperend when the weight is in its uppermost position I have here shown theupper end as provided with an eye 13 for engaging with a hook attachedto the seat or to any other part of the vehicle, and the strap isprevented from passing entirely through the opening 12 by means of stops15 secured to said strap.

The means for gripping the suspendingst'rap and pressing it against thewear-plate 9 consists of a metal ball 16, which when moved downward bygravity will be forced closely against the strap by means of theinclined wall 8, and to increase the frictional engagement of thegripping-ball with the strap I provide said strap on its gripping sidewith a roughened portion 17, consisting of Webbing or the like.

Arranged within the casing and upon which the ball 16 freely rests is aplunger 18, the lower end of which is pivotally connected to a lever 19,mounted to swing on the lower end of the front Wall of the casing, andfrom the outer end of this lever an actuating-rod 20 passes upwardthrough an opening in the footboard, and between the foot-plate 21 onsaid 'rod and the footboard is a spring 22, which serves to move the rodupward, and consequently moves the plunger 18 downward to permit theball 16 to fall.

From the weight 11 an ordinary hitchingstrap 23 extends to thebridle-bit. When it is desired to lower the weight, the rod 20 is to bepushed downward, which will move the gripping-ball 16 upward, so thatthe strap may readily pass downward until the weight reaches the ground.Then upon releasing the foot-pressure the ball 16 will again come intogripping action. The strap being thin at this point will run through tothe stop 15, said stop being preferably placed on the strap tocorrespond with the height of different vehicles, so that if the horsebacks the weight will be drawn back with the vehicle, keeping its properdistance from the head of the horse, and this will also result shouldthe horse start forward, drawing upon the hitching-strap 23, andtherefore there is no danger of the device becoming entangled with thehorses legs.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A hitching-weight holder comprising a casing,having an inclined wall, a gripping device movable in the casing againstsaid inclined Wall, and a spring-pressed plunger for moving saidgripping device out of gripping position.

2. A hitching-weight holder comprising a casing adapted to be secured tothe body of a vehicle and having an inclined wall, a metal ball arrangedin the casing and adapted for engagement with said wall, a plunger uponwhich the ball freely rests, a lever with the inner end of which saidplunger has pivotal connection, and a spring-pressed operatingrodextended upward from the outer end of said lever.

3. A hitching-weight holder comprising a casing adapted to be secured tothe bottom of a vehicle, said casing having its front wall inclinedupward and forward, an inclined adjustable wear-plate extended along theinner side of the rear Wall, aball-Weight loosely arranged in the casingand adapted for engaging with said inclined wall, a plunger in thecasing on which Said ball rests, a lever pivoted to the casing andhaving its inner end pivoted to said plunger, and a rod extended upwardfrom the outer end of said lever.

4:. A hitching-weight holder comprising a casing adapted to be securedto the under side of a vehicle-footboard, the said casing having aninclined front wall, a wear-plate adjustable inward of the rear wall andhaving a portion engaging over the upper end of said wall, a metal ballarranged loosely in the casing and adapted for engagement with saidinclined Wall, and a spring-pressed plunger in the casing for movingsaid ball in one direction.

5. A hitching-weight holder comprising a casing, a gripping devicemovable freely in the casing in vertical direction, the said grippingdevice being movable downward by gravity, and a plunger for moving thegripping device upward.

6. A hitching-weight holder comprising a casing, open at its upper andlower ends and adapted to be secured to the bottom ofa footboard of avehicle, said footboard having an opening, a gripping device movable inthe casing, and a Weight-suspending strap having a roughened portion forengaging with said gripping device, the said strap being passed over theopening in the footboard and through the opening in the casing.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT H. TOTHILL.

Witnesses:

HOMER M. ALBERTY, DAVID Gr. THOMPSON.

